


Brash Cats Die Young

by fizzyshotapop



Category: Lamento -BEYOND THE VOID-
Genre: Angst, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Mentions of other characters - Freeform, Rai's pov, Spoilers, ow the angst, possible mild smut later, post Rai's Good End
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-14
Updated: 2015-12-14
Packaged: 2018-05-06 15:51:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5422949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fizzyshotapop/pseuds/fizzyshotapop
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"No matter how much you like another person, you can never be with that person forever..."</p><p>[[Set after Rai's Good End]]</p>
            </blockquote>





	Brash Cats Die Young

**Author's Note:**

> i really hate myself and my headcanons, doing this as a kinda side thing so i can get back into it for my other fic
> 
> *Everything's in Rai's POV

_Brash cats die young._

 

He remembered saying that to him, almost mockingly. He remembered how the other scowled at him, looking up at him with a glare and huffed.

 

This was how he and Konoe had met for the first time.

 

_Brash cats die young...huh…._

 

And so he did…

 

He remembered it all, the raw emotions leaking from his chest during those days. He didn’t remember crying like that ever before.

 

Nor did he remember ever crying, in fact.

 

How cruel was it, to give him hope, to give him joy and to rip it from his hands just like that. To take him away. Those eyes full of innocence and life, golden hair that rivaled fields of gold. That smile that, to him, made life worth living.

 

Why can’t he be allowed, just this once, to dream a good dream?

 

 

* * *

  
_He remembered waking up to light leaking through the crevices in the window that morning. Soft, warm rays, a tell-tale sign of morning. He shifted slightly, looking down to see a smaller body still entwined with his own._

_He smiled, lowering his head till the tip of an ear bopped lightly against his nose. His tongue poked out, beginning a habit he had started somewhat recently, of grooming his partner. If one were to ask directly, he would never find quite the right words, nor would he ever admit to such embarrassing behavior to anyone other than one other cat._

_But if he were to be truly honest to himself, this was the easiest way for him to convey his feelings to his partner._

  
  


_The habit had originally started the night before the two of them had gone to fight Leaks. That night, the two of them had finally confessed their feelings toward each other, allowing emotions and instinct to take over._

_Compassion, worry, gratitude._

_Love._

_He had let it all out that night, just for him._

_That was the night he and Konoe had first made love to each other. He remembered shortly after, grooming Konoe’s entire body into the wee hours of the morning._

_A night he never forgot._

  


_He lazing stroked his tongue against the soft inside of Konoe’s ear. There was no heat involved in this, only warmth and comfort. Thankfully enough, he didn’t wake up in cold sweat in the midst of the night. This night, he had slipped into a deep, dreamless slumber._

_In the act of grooming the other, he started to mindlessly think on what Konoe might’ve dreamt of last night._

_A small twitch of an ear brought his thoughts to a halt._

_“Mm…” He paused, moving only enough so the smaller male could stretch. Konoe sighed, seemingly satisfied with the small sounds he’d heard from his joints._

_“Morning…” he muttered, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He smiled, moving back to his earlier position._

_“Morning,” he whispered into his ear, a smug smirk forming on his lips as he was rewarded with a small shiver. Konoe shifted slightly closer, face pressing into his chest and disrupting his position. No matter, he simply moved to groom the back of his ear, paying not much attention to the small whining he received._

_“Rai… It’s too early for that…”_

_“I’m just grooming you,” he replied haughtily. “Besides, I doubt you can even reach this spot on your own, right?”_

_“What’s that supposed to mean…?”_

_He chuckled._

_“Nothing, you stupid cat,” he said with a small huff of a laugh, endearment flowing despite his harsh choice of word. Konoe let out a small “hmph,” rubbing his eyes again._

_Hazy brown eyes turned toward him as he blinked._

_Once. Twice._

 

And this was where it all began.

 

_Konoe shut his eyes again, nearly manically rubbing at them with his hands. He scowled, forcing his wrists away from his face._

_“Stupid cat, you’ll hurt your eyes if you keep doing that.”_

_“But…”_

 

* * *

At the time, he was expecting some menial excuse or weak retort.

 

“My eyes are itchy…”, “It’s too bright…”, “Shut up…”.

 

His answer was one he never wished, in all his life, to ever hear.

 

* * *

 

 

_“Rai… I can’t see…”_

 

I can’t see…

 

_All thought stopped. A stupid one word reply slipped from his stupefied state._

_“What…?”_

_“I-I…”_

_He’s lying, he thought to himself. There’s no way, he tried to tell himself._

  


It couldn’t be this soon.

 

 

* * *

 

 

It was then, he realized.

 

Happy endings, don’t last forever.

 

 

* * *

 

  


_Water built up at the corners of the younger cat’s eyes. At that time, he couldn’t even begin to imagine just how miserable Konoe was probably feeling._

_Konoe shook his head, clutching the sheet, knuckles turned white._

_“I can’t see…” he repeated, hands shakily leaving the poor strangled sheet to clumsily pat around Rai’s face, stopping at his cheeks._

_“I-I… I can’t see you… R-Rai… I…”_

_“Stop talking.”_

_Konoe stiffened, hands tensing. He paused, frowning and lightly clutching one of his hands. He muttered a small apology against that hand, pressing his lips against it in a small peck._

_“We should go to the shaman… He’d probably know what to do.”_

_Konoe nodded wordlessly, pulling his hands back to wipe at the tears threatening to fall. He sat up quickly, moving to get dressed with purpose._

_He looked back to Konoe, pausing his hands as he finished tying the strings on his vest. The now blind cat was struggling to find his shoes._

_He reprimanded himself for being so thoughtless to his mate’s needs._

_“Here,” he said lightly, picking up the other’s boots and giving his leg a gentle tap. “Give me your foot,” he commanded._

_“Rai…! It’s fine, I can do it myself.” He scoffed, not entirely in the mood for arguing._

_“We’re not starting that today, you said so yourself…”  He stopped himself, letting out a sigh. He could feel Konoe stiffen as well. He decided not to say it. “...Just let me help you, at least for right now.”_

_He looked up, catching Konoe’s eyes and that small, all too familiar, glow of embarrassment on his cheeks._

_“......”_

_Konoe pushed his left leg out toward him, turning his face away. He sighed lightly, gently caressing his foot and pressing a tender kiss on it._

_“We’ll get through this… I promise…”_

_He closed his eye._

_Was he saying this to Konoe? Or was it to himself? At that time, he didn’t know. At that time, he didn’t know just how hard those days ahead were going to be. Both for Konoe, and for him._

_“!!”_

_A foot collided with his head._

_“You…! Hurry up and help me get my shoes on!” He huffed lightly in response, slipping his boots on._

_“Hmph, how uncute.”_

_“Th-that doesn’t matter! Hurry up!”_

_“There. Now hurry up and get out of bed.”_

_He quickly grabbed their cloaks and helped Konoe put on his, before they all but rushed out, only pausing to lock the door._

_The lively sounds of Bardo’s inn bombarded their ears. They’d originally decided to return here due to being in between bounties and Konoe nearly nagging him once they entered the city that he wanted to see how the others were doing._

_But that was irrelevant._

_He kept a tight grip on his partner’s hand to keep them from getting separated in the crowds. He half ran towards the forest, only slowing down out of courtesy for Konoe._

_“It’s not much farther,” he said reassuringly._

_He has to have answers, Rai continued to tell himself. He needed to know that there was a way around this._

_His precious Sanga-_

_No._

_His precious partner’s life, Konoe’s life, depended on it._

_He couldn’t retrain himself at the sight of the shaman’s silhouette, letting out a strong call._

_“Oi!”_

_He turned around, not even surprised at the sudden noise._

_“My, my, if it isn’t the two from before. Ufufu, you haven’t changed a bit, just as curt as ever.”_

_Despite having dropped his suspicions of the shaman when they first met, he still didn’t entirely trust this cat. There was just something about his words that just ticked him off._

_The grey cat’s eyes stopped on Konoe as he spoke._

_“.....”_

_The smaller cat squirmed slightly, feeling a hard gaze on him._

_“I need your help again…” Konoe spoke, gripping his hand._

_“That, I can see. Before I told you that there was a large shadow looming over you, but now that shadow seems to have disappeared. Ufufu, how interesting. To think that two youths were able to defeat a skilled sorcerer like Leaks.”_

_“The Poet-... No, my father told me that Leaks used my body as a vessel for his emotions. So he isn’t really gone. Leaks’ soul is asleep… and he’s in my body.” The shaman frowned, gesturing for Konoe to come closer._

_He moved his hand in the direction of the shaman, slipping his hand from Konoe’s grip to his shoulder. The grey cat wasted no time, coming to meet them halfway. He immediately grasped Konoe’s chin and looked deeply into his eyes._

_“...Your vision…”_

_He saw his partner’s ears droop and shake his head._

_“I see… Unfortunately, this is to be expected. Your body housed two different beings, yourself and Leaks. From what I can see, your body is deteriorating from that.”_

_“What do you mean?” The shaman sighed, mouth in a deep frown._

_“A single body cannot house two different souls- it’s too much for one to handle. This is much different from the curse._

_No…._

_“There is no way to reverse the damage done._

_This can’t be…_

_“I’m sorry, all that awaits you...is pain…_

_Why couldn’t it be him instead…? Why did Konoe have to suffer like this….?_

_“.....There is nothing I can do to help you…”_

 

 

* * *

 

 

So it was true...

 

True happiness only lasts for a brief time…

 

Doesn’t it...

 

 

* * *

 

 

_He looked away, feeling the other begin to tremble._

 

“So you’re saying…

 

 

* * *

 

 

So you better enjoy it while you can, huh...

 

 

* * *

_“I’m going to die this time?”_

_He didn’t look back at the two, knowing the shaman’s answer._

_Konoe was going to die._

_Konoe was going to lose all his senses and die._

_Konoe was going to suffer as he slowly died._

 

* * *

 

Konoe had died.

  


And something in him had died as well that day...  
  



End file.
